THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Interim Canadian soccer coach Stephen Hart leaves Saturday for a pair of European friendlies, buoyed by the return from injury of midfielder Iain Hume but disappointed at losing promising defender-midfielder Jacob Lensky to the Czech Republic.
Lensky, 20, had agreed to be part of Hart’s roster for games in Macedonia and Poland, only to pull out at the last minute.
“He’s made a decision as of (Thursday) to go and play with the Czech Republic,” Hart said Friday, “which was difficult for me because we spoke on the phone, he had agreed to play for Canada and we had issued him a ticket to fly to Macedonia. So as far as I was concerned he was part of the squad.
“Yesterday (Canadian team manager) Morgan Quarry got an e-mail that basically said ‘I’ve got the opportunity to play for the Czech Republic under-21 (team) and I’m going to do that.”‘
Lensky, who is with FC Utrecht in the Netherlands, had previously played for the Canadian under-20 and under-23 teams.
The Lensky defection follows on the heels of former under-20 goalkeeper Asmir Begovic’s decision to switch his international allegiance to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Begovic, who is with England’s Portsmouth, came on as a substitute for Bosnia in its 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Estonia last month.
Previous high-profile players to spurn Canada include midfielder Owen Hargreaves (England) and Jonathan de Guzman (the Netherlands).
Hume returns to the national fold after suffering a fractured skull a year ago Sunday for his English side Barnsley when he was caught by an elbow from Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan. Substituted after the incident, Hume later complained of pain and was taken to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
He resumed training in the spring, with a circular scar the size of a small plate etched on the side of his shaved head.
Hume has played in 11 games for Barnsley this season, scoring two goals for the League Championship side. Hart has seen him in two of those games.
“I’m very happy to see him back out there playing and enjoying his game,” said Hart, who called the injury horrific.
Coincidentally, Barnsley hosts Sheffield United on Monday. Morgan will miss that game because of a one-game suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Canada’s games Nov. 14 in Strumica, Macedonia, and Nov. 18 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, fall on FIFA’s international dates and Hart has relied almost exclusively on European-based players for his squad.
Under FIFA rules, national teams have to give club sides two weeks notice before summoning players and at the time many MLS clubs were in a playoff logjam. “So I thought this would be a good opportunity to see the players in Europe,” Hart explained.
Hart eventually picked Toronto FC midfielder Julian de Guzman (Jonathan’s brother), saying the player told him he would be training in Europe at the time, and DC United defender Dejan Jakovic because “I needed a central defender.”
The interim coach said he had a face-to-face with Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario to explain his plan to go with European-based players. “He understood that,” Hart said.
Veteran midfielder-striker Tomasz Radzinski gets a call-up, allowing him to play 15 kilometres from where he was born in Poland.
Hart and his staff leave Saturday for Europe. The team will gather on Monday in Skopje, travelling to Strumica on the 13th, the day before the Macedonia game. The Canadians will then head straight to Bydgoszcz to prepare for the Poland game.
Canada is currently ranked 53rd in the world by FIFA, compared to No. 56 for Poland and 66 for Macedonia.
All three teams have missed out on World Cup qualifying. Poland (3-5-2) was fifth in Group 3 in Europe while Macedonia (2-5-1) was fourth in Group 9.
Canada failed to make the final round of qualifying in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Notes — Hart said defender-midfielder Nik Ledgerwood (TSV 1860 Munich) wasn’t picked because he was struggling with an injury. … Blackburn striker David (Junior) Hoilett was invited to join the Canadian roster but elected not to because he wants to sort out his club contact status first, Hart said. Hoilett can also play for Jamaica. … Defender Paul Stalteri is one cap away from tying Mark Watson for second place on the Canadian caps list with 78. Randy Samuel holds the national record at 82. … Still interim coach, Hart says he is interested in the job full-time and expects a resolution to the issue by the end of the month.
Canada Goalkeepers: Lars Hirschfeld, Energie Cottbus (Germany); Josh Wagenaar, Falkirk (Scotland).
Defenders: Mike Klukowski, Club Brugge KV (Belgium); Kevin McKenna, FC Koeln (Germany); Paul Stalteri, Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany); Richard Hastings, Hamilton (Scotland); Dejan Jakovic, DC United (MLS).
Midfielders: Julian de Guzman, Toronto FC (MLS); Atiba Hutchinson, FC Copenhagen (Denmark); Patrice Bernier, FC Nordsjlland (Denmark); Ian Hume, Barnsley (England); Marcel de Jong, Roda JC (Netherlands); Jaime Peters, Ipswich Town (England); Josh Simpson, Manisaspor (Turkey).
Forwards: Simeon Jackson, Gillingham FC (England); Tomasz Radzinski, Lierse (Belgium); Rob Friend, Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany).